This article presents an historical and critical review of the Declaration on Christian Education "Gravissimum Educationis," promulgated on October 28, 1965, during the fourth and last session of Vatican II. By considering the history and context of this document, and after evaluating the three socio-ecclesial factors that were behind the text, an assessment of the reception of "Gravissimum Educationis" principles in the Latin American Church is made. The Conference of Bishops at Medellín in 1968 rejected many points of "Gravissimum Educationis." In 1979, the Third General Conference at Puebla proposed a new concept of education for the continent. The bishops considered that education has to be, first of all, an evangelizing task. By analyzing the state of education in the continent, the Fifth Conference at Aparecida also criticizes trends that impoverished the real purpose of education in the continent. The article concludes that both the content and the history behind "Gravissimum Educationis" make this declaration of Vatican II a lesser document in comparison to other conciliar documents such as "Gaudium et spes" or "Lumen gentium." Even though the Declaration introduces some principles of education and schooling, these are presented in a defensive form, precisely a form that other main conciliar documents try to avoid. For these reasons, "Gravissimum Educationis" was not well-received in Latin America.